The Cake's Armor
by Kerilu95
Summary: YOU reading this right now! Please come over and read my debut fan fiction! It features a chibi-Erza and my take on how she came to love cake so much! All three possible plots are up, each featuring a different person who introduced cake to Erza. 3rd and final One shot: In the Tower of Heaven, will the regular punishment lead to something new for Erza and Jellal? (Please) R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** How did Erza come to love cake so much? Was it the sweetness? Could it have been the person who introduced it to her? What about the meaning behind the icing? (Please) Read to find out in my debut fan fiction!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail. Unless my name is Hiro Mashima, which it isn't, as far as you know...jk ;)

**A/N:** Heya all and welcome to my debut fan fiction! This is just a random idea I came up with but I liked it so I decided to write it out. I think it came out pretty well, but there's always room for improvement! I actually have two alternative plot lines to this one, but I wasn't so sure if I should post them. I guess I want to see how it goes with this one. This story is also to introduce you to my writing style. But anyway, you've come here to read the story, right? So Enjoy!

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**_The Cake's Armor_**

It was midday in Magnolia. The sun was shining as brightly as always. Erza was so used to wearing her armor that she ignored how warm and stuffy it made her feel. She felt safer in her armor anyway. She was even considering getting titanium underwear, but that was a story for another day.

Erza went to sit under the central tree in Magnolia Park. It had been three months since she joined the guild Uncle Rob was a part of. He always told her what a rowdy bunch they were. Erza felt that that was an understatement. They were so loud that it gave the 11-year old a headache, and Gray didn't help either. He was still bothering her non-stop.

Erza's thoughts were interrupted when she heard laughter nearby. She looked over to the source and saw a boy and a girl playing together. 'They are so cheerful and ignorant of the sorrows of this world' Erza thought, her heart tightening in her chest as she remembered Jellal.

"Young one with the mark of the fairy," an old woman, who seemed to have noticed Erza's distress, called out to her.

Erza looked over to the old woman, confused. She hadn't been around long, but she knew that that woman was not from Magnolia. 'Maybe she's from one of the border the countries, but how did she know that I was a part of Fairy Tail? My mark is hidden underneath my armor.' Erza contemplated as she stared at the woman quizzically. She came to what she knew was a radical and out-of-nowhere conclusion; that maybe this old woman was a fairy herself, and that that was how she knew. She did, after all, have an ethereal quality about her.

No longer wanting to keep the young girl in suspense, Fairy-lady, as dubbed by Erza, spoke up. "There's a cute street café nearby, would you like to go?" she asked and pointed to the direction behind Erza. After Erza glanced over her shoulder and back to Fairy-lady, she nodded, still suspicious. Fairy-lady merely smiled and began to lead the way. Erza followed from a distance, occasionally looking back to the boy and girl who were happily playing together, a sorrow she knew all too well building up in her chest.

Before Erza realized it, they had reached their destination; a small and cute street café with a large window in front which covered two-thirds of the wall. Erza looked through it and saw many different pastries. Some were large, others were small. Some of the big ones were pure white in color, others had brown coverings. There were a few small ones in an assortment of rainbow colors as well. But one pastry caught Erza's attention in particular. She gazed at the snow white pastry which had lots of fruit on it; fruits with the same color as Erza's hair.

"What is it?" Erza asked curiously. The Fairy smiled, pleased that Erza was so interested in the cake.

"I'll explain after we get ourselves some, so pick any one you would like." Fairy-lady replied sincerely. Erza raised an eyebrow at the fairy.

"But I couldn't possibly expect you to for pay me, I should pay for myself." Erza argued.

"Nonsense, I'm the one who offered to bring you here in the first place. So no more 'buts'" Fairy-lady held fast. Erza reluctantly accepted Fairy-lady's kindness. She would let herself be spoiled, if only for a short time. She picked the one with the scarlet fruits. Fairy-lady nodded and they went inside. She ordered for herself and Erza a slice.

They left the café and kept walking as Erza slowly and carefully nibbled on the pastry, savoring the taste. 'It's delicious…' she thought to herself, surprised at the sweet taste. The base was soft and fluffy, and the covering melted on her tong. It filled her to the brim with bliss, the same happiness she had felt when Uncle Rob told her stories. Fairy-lady could practically see Erza's eyes sparkling, so she took that as the opportunity to tell Erza what it was that gave her so much glee.

"Ours is what is called a strawberry cake. Kind people make it for others to enjoy. The soft, sweet covering is called icing. People put in on the cake to make it look pretty, make it taste sweet and to protect it by covering the base!" Fairy-lady finished her explanation.

"So it's like the cake's armor?" Erza inquired seriously. Fairy-lady laughed at Erza's comparison. 'The young girl is so cute' she mused.

"Yes, and the fruits; the strawberries, are there to complete it and make it special." said Fairy Lady.

"Like a weapon!" Erza called excitedly, but Fairy-lady stopped and bent down to look straight into the young girl's eyes.

"No," she disagreed as she shook her head and pointed to Erza's chest "Like our hearts, it's a precious part that should always be treasured and treated kindly. It should never be used to hurt others. Whenever you doubt the beauty of your heart, remember your own decorations and that they are beautiful, even if it cannot be seen on the surface. Your 'fruit' may not be ripe yet, but that's what friends are for, and we should always try to help other people whose fruits are spoiled. We should bring joy to others, just like the cake brings joy to us. I hope that when you eat the strawberry cake, that you will remember this and all that I have told you." Fairy-Lady finished with a soft, compassionate smile.

Erza frowned, trying to comprehend what Fairy-lady was saying. But then she noticed the familiar surroundings. She looked up to the side and saw Fairy Tail's flag. 'We're back at the guild!' Erza noticed, surprised.

"I see, but how did you…" Erza wanted to ask, but when she looked around, she saw that the Fairy had disappeared. 'How did she know where the guild was, and why would she bring me back? Why would she buy me a cake and tell me things about it?' Many questions swirled through Erza's head. She had to find the reason behind Fairy-lady's actions.

Erza searched everywhere for Fairy-lady, her thoughts running amok the whole time. It made sense that the Fairy-lady knew where the Guild Hall was, since the she knew that Erza had the mark of the fairy. Also, Fairy Tail was popular after all, so people would at least know where the Guild Hall was of the troublesome guild. Still, Erza had yet to thank the Fairy-lady yet for her kindness. She didn't even know her real name.

It was already dusk; ribbons of orange and yellow clouds weaved around each other and fought for dominance of the red sky. It was getting late, so Erza decided the return to the guild.

The dorm lady and Cana welcomed her back. Cana instantly began babbling about everything that Erza missed that day at the guild, while the dorm lady scolded Erza for almost staying out past curfew. Erza was happy though, she was happy that they cared, so she also told them about the delicious cake she had.

After a while, Erza noticed that she had completely forgotten about the sadness that she felt when she saw the boy and girl playing together and whenever she thought of Jellal. It was strange for Erza, and she mentally reprimanded herself for forgetting something so important. Yet, it felt good for her to not worry.

Erza wondered if it was the strawberry cake that made her feel better. She recalled the happiness that she felt while eating the cake, and Fairy-lady's inspirational words. She took both to heart and felt that whenever she felt down, or just wanted to bask the blissful sweetness again, she would herself some of the strawberry cake. It would also always remind Erza of the words that the Fairy-lady spoke to her this day.

From a faraway hill, Fairy Lady looked on as she saw Erza happily chatting with her nakama. She removed her magic other-identity face-mask, and ankle-length, blonde hair flowed in the wind. Her lifeless yet full of life eyes shone as a small smile gave color to her pale face.

"You are a kind girl, Erza. May your strawberries always be fruitful!" she said softly, leaving her words to be carried by the wind. To reach its intended destination, she could only hope as her astral projection faded...

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**A/N:** Phew! *Wipes sweat of brow* Thank you so much for reading all the way to the end! Any and all comments will be welcomed with open arms, but remember flames will be given to Natsu. ;) I'll be uploading more stories soon, so watch this space!


	2. Chapter 2: The Price to Pay

**Summary**: Erza recalls the first time she ate cake, the person who baked it and about accepting responsibility for her actions. Will the sweetness help her heal? Find out it the second One-shot of The Cake's Armor. The Price to Pay is an alternative plot to the first one shot. It features an OC!

**Disclaimer:** I do not, never have and never will own Fairy Tail. It's all Hiro Mashima's!

**A/N:** Heya all and welcome back! Thank you so much for all those who read, reviewed and followed my story! It made me _really_ happy! Aye! I hoped you enjoyed it. Anyway, Here's the second one shot. REMEMBER: This is an alternative plot line to the first chapter, which means that they don't follow on each other. So you don't have too read the first to read this one. But if you do, you can decide on which is your favorite. This one is a little bit of a tear-jerker. I hope you enjoy!  
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**_The__ Cake's Armor: The Price to Pay._**

Present

The boys of the guild Fairy Tail were roughing it up as always. The cost of damage from their latest fight would probably be subtracted from their latest winnings. Not that Erza really cared. She was peacefully eating her cake, now and then subconsciously dodging a blow or magic blast that had gone astray.

Lucy was surprised that Erza could continue casually eating her cake without being disturbed by the ruckus around her. Was the cake really that delicious?

"Hey Erza, can I ask you something?" Lucy began. Erza glared at her and it made Lucy flinch. She gave an awkward little laugh. "Sorry to disturb! I just want to know why you like strawberry cake so much." Lucy had to know. She was sure that everyone wanted to. Erza blinked at Lucy, stopping her next bite halfway.

"Why indeed." Erza said. 'Ugh' Lucy thought. This was going to more difficult than she had thought. But then she heard the sound of cutlery clinging against the table. Erza had put her fork down, and was staring into the distance. "It all started on that one fateful day, long ago…" Erza began dramatically as if she was an old woman.

Past

It was a warm and sunny midday. Erza had been wandering around aimlessly in the streets of Magnolia. She had to get away from the guild hall. It had only been three months and the loud guild already gave the 11-year old a headache.

She tugged at her armor. The heat was making her feel al stuffy, but she didn't want to remove her armor. She felt safer with it on. 'After what had happened at the Tower of Heaven' Erza's thoughts began but was stopped when she noticed a young girl and an old man, probably the girl's grandpa, walk past her. They were laughing and playfully teasing each other. Erza felt a pang shoot through her heart. If it wasn't for her, Uncle Rob would still be alive. Erza tried to fight back the falling of the tears she was sure she had none left off.

Suddenly she caught the scent of something sweet. Having nothing else to do, Erza followed the scent for a short distance until she reached a small house. It was old but well-maintained. Erza could see steam coming out of the second window on the right, Erza assumed that to be the kitchen. An elderly woman was busy tending to the roses in the garden. She wore a light summer dress and had a hat with a wide brim on.

"Excuse me..?" Erza asked carefully. The woman looked up and when she saw Erza she gave her a broad smile. It startled Erza.

"Well this is a surprise. What can I do for such a young fairy?" the woman asked, looking at Erza. Erza was taken aback. 'Fairy? Did she mean Fairy Tail?' Erza wondered. 'But my mark is under my armor, so…'

"How could you tell?" Erza asked, suspicious.

"It was just a guess." The woman said, still smiling. She continued to look at Erza, Erza tried to remember the reason why she was there, then it hit her.

"That's right! I came over here following a sweet smell, I was just curious to know what it was. I'm sorry for the disturbance." Erza apologized, giving a slight bow. "I'll be leaving now..."

"It's called a cake." The elderly woman interrupted, stopping Erza in her tracks. Erza looked over to her. 'Cake, I've seen many guild members eating it at the Guild Hall before. It's a type of pastry' Erza recalled. "Would you like to try it?" the woman offered, pointing to the door of the house.

Erza was hesitant for moment. It could have been a trap and the sweet scent was just there to the lure the prey into it. However, Erza couldn't sense any malicious intentions from the woman. Erza gave a resigned nod. The woman left her water can on the grass and led Erza inside the house.

They went through a door on the right, through the spacious living room which was filled with Sakura-wood furniture and into the immaculate and functional kitchen. Erza went to sit at the small table just as the old woman, who had identified herself as Adele, had told her. She handed Erza a glass of juice, and Erza thanked her. Adele putted her oven gloves on, opened the oven and removed the cake pan.

"It smells delicious!" Erza cooed. Adele smiled at Erza.

"It's not done yet." she said excitedly. Erza tilted her head in confusion. "It still needs the icing." Adele explained as she mixed water in careful ratio with the icing sugar.

"Needs icing? What's it for?" Erza asked, not fully understanding. Adele grinned at Erza over her shoulder as she went to work plastering the icing over the cake.

"The icing is what protects the cake and makes it beautiful. It also gives the cake its _super_ sweet taste!" she elaborated enthusiastically.

"When you say that the icing protects the cake, does that mean that it's like the cake's armor?" Erza asked quizzically. Shocked by how funny Erza's comparison was, Adele dropped her scraper as her

Shoulders shook with her giggles. "I'm serious!" Erza pouted. After a moment Adele's giggles subsided and she went to work with a bowl of fruits. "What are those scarlet fruits for?" Erza asked.

"You mean the strawberries? They're there to decorate the cake and to make it special." Adele told the young girl a-matter-of-factly, adding the strawberries one-by-one to the cake. Erza nodded in understanding. "Why do you call the 'scarlet' fruits?" Adele inquired.

"Oh, it was a boy that I had known a lifetime ago. He called me Erza _Scarlet_, because the color of my hair is scarlet. The strawberries are the same color as my hair, so that is why I..." Erza trailed off. The old woman gave Erza a sympathetic smile.

"I know how it feels to lose someone close to you." Adele began. She cut out a slice of cake for herself and for Erza, and went to sit at the table. Erza stayed silent and took a bite from her cake. It was fluffy and melted on her tong. The sweet taste filled her senses and it sent a euphoric thrill through her, though the feeling wouldn't last long, for Adele continued he tale. "My husband disappeared years ago when he was out on a mission. I haven't heard from him since. I don't even know if he's still alive or…"she stayed silent after a moment. Erza stopped mid bite and looked up at Adele.

"He went on a mission? Does that mean that he was a mage?" Erza asked. Adele looked towards Erza and seemed to be searching her.

"Yes, he was a wizard from a guild you know all too well. He was a wizard from Fairy Tail. That's why I suspected you were from the guild to. You had the same determined, unnerving gaze as him, as a fairy." Adele confirmed. Erza was stunned.

'A member of Fairy Tail had disappeared? Wouldn't Fairy Tail have gone out and search for him? Why haven't they found them and why is this the first time I hear of this?' and many more questions rushed through Erza's mind. Adele got up and went out of the room. After a short while, she returned. Erza was still staring off into space. She decided to bring Erza back to reality by showing her the photo.

"This is him." She said pointing to a man with gray hair, a gigantic smile and an all-too familiar beard. "His name is Rob."

The sound of Erza's fork falling on the ground sounded through the entire room like a gunshot. A heavy silence hung in the room. Erza's eyes widened. Her breathing became more shallow and fast-paced.

"Erza?" Adele looked concerned at Erza and started pondering her reaction.

"Uncle…Rob…" Erza whimpered. Realization dawned upon Adele.

"Erza, did you know him?" she asked and took a hold of Erza's shoulders, bending down to meet her at face level. Erza looked up with a grief-stricken and guilty face. The woman's heart wanted to break then and there.

"I…did" Erza started, barely audible. Adele could tell that Erza was struggling to find the right words. "I saw him…he was with me…in the…in the Tower…I'm so sorry!" Erza said, fighting back her tears while glaring at the ground. She couldn't look Adele in the eyes.

"It's okay Erza, tell me, what happened at the tower?" she prodded Erza gently. Erza continued looking down. 'No', she scolded herself, 'Now is not the time to be weak, it was my fault, and I should accept the responsibility. I should be the one to tell his wife about his deeds. This is the price I have to pay.'

"The tower was a place where good people were taken to be slaves. They were punished by bad people. Uncle Rob protected me with everything he had. He died so that I could live." Erza finished bowing her head. "I'm deeply sorry." There was a long silence before Adele spoke again.

"So it's you" the old woman said slumping back in the chair and looked at Erza. Erza looked at her, confusion written all over her face. "I once received a letter from him. It was short and rushed. He didn't tell me where he was, what conditions he was living in or his mission. He only told me of a sweet little girl he had met, and that her childish innocence saved him from despair." She paused, her gazed firmly fixed on Erza. "That girl…was you." She finished. Erza's eyes became watery and she looked away.

"I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that I'm not sad, but I'm also happy. The cake we're eating, your 'Uncle' loved it. I would always bake it for him when he returned from missions. So when he disappeared, I continued making it, hoping that he would one day return to eat it. But after the letter, I doubted that he would ever return. But I still continued to bake the cake, because it also reminded me of his kindness. Just like him, a cake is sweet to everyone; it is neither bitter to one nor sour to the next. That is the cakes' unconditional love." The old woman finished. Erza began to sob. She was pulled into a hug by Adele. "Never forget the kindness that he showed you."

"I WON'T!" Erza yelled. She didn't hold anything back anymore. Her shoulders shook violently and her unrestrained tears flowed down her cheeks.

Erza didn't know for how long she was out, only that she fell asleep in the old woman's arms. She felt that they were moving and slowly opened her eyes. Adele was carrying her and Erza looked at her face. Her eyes were red and puffy. She must have cried too. Adele seemed to have noticed Erza was awake because she was looking down at Erza. She gave the young girl a sad smile. Then they stopped. Erza looked up and saw that they were back at Fairy Hills, Fairy Tail's dorm. She slowly put Erza down.

For a moment both stayed in silence. Orange and yellow-colored clouds fought for dominance over the red sky which created a beautiful canvas for the setting sun.

"I'll never forget." Erza said softly, she didn't mean for the Adele to hear it, but she did anyway.

"I know you won't" she replied knowingly.

"I'll just continue eating strawberry cakes, a lot of it. So that one day I can become kind as well!"

"I thought so." Adele said as she patted Erza on the head.

Present

"I never knew the cake has so much meaning to you, Erza, I just thought…" Lucy said as she wiped away tear which had gone astray on her cheek with her one finger.

"Yes well…" Erza started but Natsu bumped into her and caused Erza to drop her cake to the floor. Lucy's eyes widened in fear and she held her breath. Erza stood up, a deadly aura enveloping her.

"Come back here! You wanna fight?!" Natsu called, not even realizing that he had caused Erza to drop her _most precious _cake. Erza caught him by the collar though, and Lucy could hear Natsu yelp. She could finally understand why Erza's cake meant so much for her, and that Natsu was about to get the beating of a lifetime. _No one_ messes with Erza's cake.

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**A/N:** hahaha well that's it for the second one shot! Thanks again for reading all the way to the end! Any and all comments are welcome, but remember that flames will be given to Natsu! ;) I'll post the third alternative plot line as soon as I can. The next one features Jellal, so stay tuned!


	3. Chapter 3: Bitter Sweetness

**Summary:** We all know that Erza loves cake, but why? Is it a reminder of happiness long lost her? In the Tower of Heaven the usual punishment lead to test of courage and baking skills. It's time for Erza and Jellal to face up to the onslaught of the flour! _3rd and final one shot_.

**Disclaimer:** I do not, never have and never will own Fairy Tail. It's all Hiro Mashima's!

**A/N**: First of all, thanks again to all those who reviewed, favorite and followed my story; xXTraineraXx, princessforeveralone, Children of Light & Reach for the Sky.

Well then here is the 3rd and final one shot to my The Cake's Armor Series. It's been a real blast writing these three stories, I personally like that. But I know that there is always room for improvement. Even if you don't review, I still hope you enjoy the read. So why don't you tell me if you enjoyed it? ;)

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_**The Cake's Armor: Bitter Sweetness**_

Erza's throat was burning. Her legs began to feel like jelly. The picture of the one with the blue hair in front of her became blurred. And of course, someone just had to leave a rock right in the middle of the hallway. Erza tripped over it and fell face first into the ground.

"Kyaa!" Erza shouted. The boy in front of her stopped and jogged back to her.

"Erza! Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

"That hurt…" Erza said in a small voice, sitting upright and rubbing her forehead. She looked up to the boy. "Jellal…" Erza called softly. Suddenly they heard voices closing in on them.

"It's the guards! Erza, can you stand?" Jellal asked her. Erza tried to, but her legs gave way underneath her and she lost her balance. Luckily Jellal caught her before she could fall again. He swung one of her arms around his shoulder and placed his other around her waist to support her. He continued jogging. "I'm sorry Erza. I didn't realize we had run that far…" Jellal apologized.

"It's fine!" Erza said, shaking her head. "I can handle…" Erza stopped midsentence when she heard voices coming from in front of them. Jellal cursed under his breath, they were completely surrounded.

"Here, we caught them!" one of the guards called. They tied Erza and Jellal together as they waited for the Head Guard to arrive. When he did, the men gave a crisp salute.

"Your orders, sir?" the one asked, showing him the captives. The Head Guard looked them over once and gave his verdict.

"It's the usual trouble makers so give them dish washing duty! Chain their hands together and make sure that none of the exits are accessible. They won't be going far. The rest of you go and apprehend the other ingrates. This insubordination is unacceptable!" He finished, roaring the last few words.

"Sir yes sir!" all the guards called in perfect harmony with each other. If they weren't just obeying orders to torture Erza and Jellal, Erza might have thought that all of their voices sounded beautiful together.

Once a big, gruff looking man took the youngsters to the kitchen, he chained them together. He told them about their duties and that he would be back soon to collect them. Until then, he would be putting a magic lock on the door, which made it impossible for them to escape. Erza and Jellal merely nodded in understanding and the man left, closing the door behind him.

Erza and Jellal continued to wash the dishes in silence. Erza, as she washed the dishes with soap, knew that the escape-plan was a bad idea. But Jellal was too stubborn to listen to her. She looked over at Jellal who was rinsing the dishes in clear water. He had a focused expression on his face. Erza knew what that meant. He always had that expression on when he was thinking about how to obtain their freedom. Erza knew that she had to distract him, but she didn't know how. Then it hit her.

"Um, Jellal?" Erza called and Jellal glared at her, still with his angry expression on. It made Erza flinch. Noticing that he was scaring her, Jellal changed his expression to a more calming one.

"Sorry about that." he apologized. A short, awkward silence followed. "What were you saying before?" Jellal asked. Erza looked around for a while until she found what she was looking for. She tugged at Jellal's arm and he followed her. She sieved through the papers that laid on one of the island counters, until she found the one she was looking for.

"Here!" Erza started, taking the paper from the batch. "I saw this recipe lying here the last time we were on dish washing duty, and it looked really delicious!" she finished and excitedly shoved the paper in Jellal's face.

"Ofyt, Aye kate h foog!" (Alright, I'll take a look!) Jellal said, his voice being muffled by the paper. He took the page from Erza and looked it over. "It's for a cake?" he asked. Erza nodded, smiling.

"That's right!" she confirmed. "It looks _really_ pretty, and here," Erza continued and pointed her finger at the word method"there's even instructions on how to make it!" she finished.

"Alright, so…?" Jellal asked, confused. He didn't like where this was going.

"I want to try making it!" Erza exclaimed. Jellal was silent for a moment, as if he tried to process what Erza had just requested of him. Suddenly, when he seemed to have registered it, his head snapped up at Erza.

"Have you lost your senses?!" He nearly yelled. Erza squirmed and Jellal recoiled, he didn't mean to raise his voice. He calmed himself before he elaborated. "It's dangerous, Erza! Someone could catch us and then we would be in serious trouble for skipping out on our dish washing duty! We are already in enough trouble as it is. Besides, how are we going to make a cake with your left hand chained to my right?" Jellal reasoned.

'Why does this hell hole even have a kitchen in the first place?' Jellal wondered. 'It's not like we ever get fed anything fancy, so this is just out of place'. Jellal looked over at Erza who had gone silent. He saw that Erza had responded with a pout which caused his heart to skip a beat. 'That isn't fair; she can't make a face like that!' Jellal complained to himself

"Oh come on Jellal, please?" Erza pleaded. "Think of it as rebelling! We never get fed properly, so it's only right that we treat ourselves, isn't?" When Jellal still didn't budge, Erza gave him her best puppy eyes. Jellal melted right away, cursing whoever was responsible for making Erza so cute.

"Fine" Jellal gave in

"Hooray!" Erza exclaimed, hugged Jellal and skipped off to the gather all the mixing bowls and cooking utensils, dragging Jellal all the way with her.

"I'm going to regret this…" Jellal promised himself as Erza pulled a stepping stool out of who knows where and stood on top of it.

"I'm going to start by adding the butter and sugar together, would you mind go getting us some flour, Jellal?" Erza asked sweetly. Jellal just looked at her, almost face palming.

"I don't mind, but…" Jellal said and pointed at their handcuffed hands, "You're going to have to come with." He said and walked towards what he assumed to be the food storage room pulling Erza along. Erza cringed, she had forgotten about that little catch already.

They returned with all the necessary ingredients a few minutes later, and went to work right away.

Erza started creaming the sugar and butter together. Her right hand was free, so it was easy for her, but Jellal needed both his hands to measure and sieve the flour. So he waited until Erza finished making the cream.

When she was finished he immediately took the chance to scoop some flour out of the bag with his left hand, holding the bag with his right. However, Erza moved her left hand at the same time to break open the eggs. The sudden pull caused Jellal to lose his grip on the flour bag. He saw it tipping towards Erza and tried to catch it, but the sudden shove caused Erza to lose her balance and fall backwards. They both toppled over.

Erza wasn't sure what was going on, only that she was falling. She braced herself for impact, but after a few seconds nothing happened. She opened her eyes and saw that Jellal had cushioned her fall. Erza was relieved, until she looked up and saw that the bag of flour was swaying dangerously. Before Erza could say 'incoming!' it tipped over and she and Jellal was covered head to toe with the flour. The floor wasn't shown much mercy either. Erza blinked a few times and gave a cough before she looked down at Jellal.

"Jellal!" Erza called frantically, shocked when she thought that Jellal had passed out. Erza didn't know if she was scared because Jellal's eyes were closed or if it was because he was even more pale than usual. Then she realized he only looked pale because of the flour, so that fear quickly faded away.

Erza looked at her left hand which she had placed on Jellal's chest upon her fall. It was covered in yellow goo. She wondered where that could have came from. Then she remembered that she had broken the egg open before they fell, so when it happened all the yellow goo must have splattered onto them. Erza looked over at Jellal "I'm so sorry, please open your eyes!" she wailed with an apologetic look on her face.

"Oh so loud…" Jellal said as he opened his eyes. He suddenly felt something hit his chest, knocking his wind out. It was Erza who hugged him.

"You're okay!" Erza said looking up at Jellal to see of his was really awake.

"Of course, who do you think I am? But um, Erza, this had-cuffing thing isn't going to work. Only one of us should make the batter." Jellal pointed out a matter-of-factly. Erza nodded in agreement. She would do the batter and Jellal would do the icing.

The preparation of the mixture went smoothly, even though they were both clothed in ingredients. Jellal moved his hand along with Erza. The feeling of her movements and him moving with her was oddly comforting to him. When she was finally finished and the cake was in the oven, Jellal started with the icing. He was carefully mixing the icing with the water when he heard the soft voice next to him speak up.

"Hey Jellal, can I ask you something?" Erza began. Jellal nodded. "What's the icing for?" she wanted to know. Jellal paused. He contemplated it for a moment before answering.

"I guess it's like the cake's armor." He concluded.

"It's the cake's armor?" Erza questioned. "So you mean it protects the cake and makes it strong?" Jellal stopped his stirring for a brief moment.

"Yeah it's the icing that protects the cake, but I think that it's the kindness in the heart of the maker that makes it strong. Just like the kindness in our hearts makes us strong. " Jellal felt as if he had just said something cliché and unlike himself. "Of course, the icing also makes it taste sweet and look eatable at least." He elaborated, and added more and more icing sugar.

"I see...but Jellal? It's fine if you have a sweet tooth, but don't you think that's too much sugar now?" Erza asked. Jellal merely shrugged. The oven went 'ding' which meant the cake was ready. Erza removed it and put it aside to cool for a little bit. Afterwards Jellal plastered the icing sugar on the cake in clumsy motions.

When it was all done they each had a slice. In addition to the fact that the base was half-burnt, the icing was all runny and that it was way too sweet, Erza felt that it was incomplete.

'"It's still missing something, though…" Erza said and tried to place what it is. Jellal took a look at the recipe and saw what it was.

"Hold on!" He said and stood up, pulling Erza up along with him. He searched around the messed-up counter for something. What for Erza had no idea. He soon found it. There was a little piece of fruit in his hand. When he placed it on Erza's cake and saw the confused look on her face and explained. "It's called a strawberry; the cake won't be complete without it!" Jellal pointed out.

"Thanks Jellal! But, where's yours?" Erza wanted to know, looking to see if he had one.

"There was only one left when I saw it in the store room, so I took it. That's the one you have now."

"So should it be on the cake? But why'd you give the whole one to me? Why not just halve?" Erza continued her barrage of questions.

"Because the color of the fruit is the same color as your hair; scarlet" Jellal said with a soft smile and Erza blushed at the mention of her hair. "I felt I wanted to give the whole one to you because it matches your hair so perfectly." he finished. Erza gave him the sweetest of smiles and chewed the strawberry slowly.

'It's delicious!' Erza thought. Jellal gave a hearty laugh; if he hadn't known better he would think that Erza was sparkling with glee right there.

Suddenly they heard voices coming from the outside.

"Alright, dinner should be ready in three hours so make it snappy!" They heard the voice of the big scruffy man order as the doors swung open. Jellal looked over the island counter and saw that a bunch of people, who he assumed to be the kitchen staff, file in. They were heading straight for the counter Erza and Jellal was hidden behind. Jellal instantly pulled at Erza's hand.

"Come on, Erza! We have to jet!" Erza looked hesitant for a moment, staring at her cake, then at the mess they made, and back to her cake. "Don't worry Erza, once we're free from this prison we can buy all the cake we want!" Jellal insisted.

"Really? You promise now?" Erza asked, looking up at Jellal, trying to see if he's lying to her. Jellal bent down to meet her eyes.

"Of course! I promise you, Erza" Jellal assured her. Erza took the opportunity to give Jellal a peck on the cheek. It was a simple gesture but it was all too sweet. Erza seemed to have been satisfied because it was then that she got up. She started to move along the counters towards the door, pulling the stunned Jellal along.

"Those little brats! They didn't clean the dishes at all!" one of them exclaimed.

"And look at the floor! They made an even bigger mess!" Another pointed out.

"Is that a cake?" the third asked. He was hit over the hit by the other two.

It was then that Jellal and Erza decided to make like a banana and split.

"Look there they go!" the first exclaimed again.

"After them!" the second called.

"Can I have a slice of that cake, please?" the third asked completely inappropriately.

Erza and Jellal already rounded the corner, so the third member who was kicked out and sent flying missed them. As they continued running, the two youngsters laughed. The laughed from the bottom of their hearts for the first time since they had arrived.

After a long distance and when they were sure that nobody had followed them, they stopped to catch their breaths.

"Hey, Jellal" Erza called in between pants. Jellal looked over his shoulder at her "Thanks for the cake, I'll never forget it!" Erza said with a wide grin.

"I know I won't forget it either!" Jellal said with a smile. Erza felt elated, as if she had the courage to face her fears again. She hoped that in the future she would continue to do so with the help of the strawberry cake and the memories the behind it!

"By the way, how are we going to remove these handcuffs?"

* * *

**A/N: **Tehe! Care to guess who said that last part? ;P Thank you for reading all the way to the end! Please tell me which one shot was your favorite, I would like to know, since I can't decide. [No I'm just lying, I also have a favorite (^.^)/] All comment, favorites and follows are greatly appreciated! Keep an


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